Landkey
Encyclopedia
Landkey is a small village in the county of Devon
in the south-west of England
with a population of 2274. It is situated 3 miles (4.8 km) from the nearest town of Barnstaple
.
. This 'mistruth legend' has, however, been disputed by historians.
It is more widely accepted that the name of the village, Landkey, is derived from the Llan of Kea, 'Llan' is the south-western Brythonic
(and Welsh
) for an area of ground around a church or chapel, which in this case was Saint Kea
's hermitage. Kea and a brother Celtic monk, Filia, are known to have worked together in the evangelisation of these parts, probably in the late 5th century. The coming of the Saxons
often caused the changing of Celtic church
dedications to those of more universally accepted and known saints. However, place names are more difficult to change. Thus Saint Kea's name persists in the village name of 'Landkey' and some 6 milies away Filia's name is contained in the village of 'Filleigh
'. Today, the dedication of both parish church
es is to St. Paul.
Landkey church, dedicated to Saint Paul
, is an attractive building, entirely late 15th century, except for the chancel
which was rebuilt in 1870. The interior is plastered and whitened throughout, with ceiled and bossed roofs, and possesses an elegant early perpendicular
font
dating from c.1400. The North aisle contains three stone effigies of the Beaupels, who held the manor of Landkey under the Bishop of Exeter
.
The small South transept is the Acland Chapel, and contains a fine coloured monument to Sir Arthur Acland (1610) and his wife. The Aclands, one of the most notable of Devon families, originated at Acland Barton, from which they took their name in Henry II
's time. They continued to own it until 1945, when Sir Richard Acland sold it to the tenant. The parish now forms part of the "Benefice of Swimbridge with West Buckland and Landkey"; the current incumbent is the Revd. Peter Bowers.
All the 2 ft-high saplings were bought from Thornhayes Nursery at Cullompton
whose owner Kevin Croucher had also grafted the precious mazzard buds onto infant trees. All the mazzards prunus avium - in varieties Greenstem Black, Black Bottler, Dun Small Black and Hannaford are thriving on the picturesque 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) green.
Full credit is due to parish council chairman and mazzard advocate Dick Joy who helped to save North Devon's very own cherry from extinction following 80 years of steady decline. He reports every tree is in good health and making tremendous growth.http://www.countryside.gov.uk/LAR/Landscape/ETV/regional/southWest/mazzardTreesInNorthDevon.asp
north of Codden Hill, equidistant between the villages of Bishops Tawton and Landkey. It produces a high PSV gritstone, for which there is an increasingly important market for wearing courses in road making and repair. In addition, the quarry also produces aggregates for the construction industry and materials for a concrete batching plant located at the eastern end of the site. Quarrying for gritstone commenced at Venn in the 1930s, which predated the introduction of the Town and Country Planning Act 1947 and it has been in continuous operation since. There have been a number of planning permissions granted for extensions to both the
working area and for mineral waste tipping.
Venn Quarry was mothballed on the 8th of September 2006.
In 1987, it was suggested that Landkey should be demolished. However, such plans were thwarted by local protestors, and the council decided to expand the village instead.
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
in the south-west of England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
with a population of 2274. It is situated 3 miles (4.8 km) from the nearest town of Barnstaple
Barnstaple
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...
.
Origin
It is widely believed by the locals that Landkey was founded by Sir Francis Drake in 1586 as a settlement to escape from the Spanish ArmadaSpanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
. This 'mistruth legend' has, however, been disputed by historians.
It is more widely accepted that the name of the village, Landkey, is derived from the Llan of Kea, 'Llan' is the south-western Brythonic
Southwestern Brythonic language
The Southwestern Brythonic languages are the Brythonic Celtic tongues spoken in Southwestern Britain and Brittany since the Early Middle Ages. During the period of their earliest attestation, the languages appear to be indistinguishable, but eventually they evolved into the Cornish and Breton...
(and Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
) for an area of ground around a church or chapel, which in this case was Saint Kea
Saint Kea
Saint Kea was a late 5th-century saint from the Hen Ogledd, the Brythonic-speaking parts of what is now southern Scotland and northern England...
's hermitage. Kea and a brother Celtic monk, Filia, are known to have worked together in the evangelisation of these parts, probably in the late 5th century. The coming of the Saxons
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
often caused the changing of Celtic church
Celtic Christianity
Celtic Christianity or Insular Christianity refers broadly to certain features of Christianity that were common, or held to be common, across the Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages...
dedications to those of more universally accepted and known saints. However, place names are more difficult to change. Thus Saint Kea's name persists in the village name of 'Landkey' and some 6 milies away Filia's name is contained in the village of 'Filleigh
Filleigh
Filleigh is a small village in North Devon, on the southern edge of Exmoor.Castle Hill is a privately owned Palladian House built in 1730 by Hugh Fortescue, Lord Clinton, as his family home...
'. Today, the dedication of both parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
es is to St. Paul.
St Paul's Church
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
, is an attractive building, entirely late 15th century, except for the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
which was rebuilt in 1870. The interior is plastered and whitened throughout, with ceiled and bossed roofs, and possesses an elegant early perpendicular
Perpendicular
In geometry, two lines or planes are considered perpendicular to each other if they form congruent adjacent angles . The term may be used as a noun or adjective...
font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
dating from c.1400. The North aisle contains three stone effigies of the Beaupels, who held the manor of Landkey under the Bishop of Exeter
Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exon or incorporates this in his signature....
.
The small South transept is the Acland Chapel, and contains a fine coloured monument to Sir Arthur Acland (1610) and his wife. The Aclands, one of the most notable of Devon families, originated at Acland Barton, from which they took their name in Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
's time. They continued to own it until 1945, when Sir Richard Acland sold it to the tenant. The parish now forms part of the "Benefice of Swimbridge with West Buckland and Landkey"; the current incumbent is the Revd. Peter Bowers.
Mazzard fruits
Landkey is also famous for its Mazzard fruit which was discovered by local farmers in the early 1900s. Landkey Parish Council have rescued Mazzard trees from the brink of extinction. The variety of sweet cherry was once common in North Devon, but had almost died out. The parish council won a £35,000 matching grant through the Countryside Agency's Millennium Green project to pave the way for creating a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) orchard as part of a wider Millennium Green project.All the 2 ft-high saplings were bought from Thornhayes Nursery at Cullompton
Cullompton
Cullompton is a civil parish and town in Devon, England, locally known as Cully. It is miles north-north-east of Exeter and lies on the River Culm. In 2010 it had a population of 8,639 and is growing rapidly....
whose owner Kevin Croucher had also grafted the precious mazzard buds onto infant trees. All the mazzards prunus avium - in varieties Greenstem Black, Black Bottler, Dun Small Black and Hannaford are thriving on the picturesque 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) green.
Full credit is due to parish council chairman and mazzard advocate Dick Joy who helped to save North Devon's very own cherry from extinction following 80 years of steady decline. He reports every tree is in good health and making tremendous growth.http://www.countryside.gov.uk/LAR/Landscape/ETV/regional/southWest/mazzardTreesInNorthDevon.asp
Venn Quarry
Venn Quarry is located in open countryside 3 km to the south-east of Barnstaple. It lies to thenorth of Codden Hill, equidistant between the villages of Bishops Tawton and Landkey. It produces a high PSV gritstone, for which there is an increasingly important market for wearing courses in road making and repair. In addition, the quarry also produces aggregates for the construction industry and materials for a concrete batching plant located at the eastern end of the site. Quarrying for gritstone commenced at Venn in the 1930s, which predated the introduction of the Town and Country Planning Act 1947 and it has been in continuous operation since. There have been a number of planning permissions granted for extensions to both the
working area and for mineral waste tipping.
Venn Quarry was mothballed on the 8th of September 2006.
Buildings and landmarks
Landkey is famous for many well known buildings and landmarks, these include:- The Castle Inn
- Ring o' Bells
- St Paul's Church
- Venn Quarry
- Post Office
- Landkey Primary School
- Codden Hill
In 1987, it was suggested that Landkey should be demolished. However, such plans were thwarted by local protestors, and the council decided to expand the village instead.
External links
See also
- Annery kilnAnnery kilnThe former Annery lime kiln is situated just off the road from Bideford to Great Torrington, near Weare Giffard in the Torridge District of North Devon, England. The old lime kiln overlooks the River Torridge and lies close to the old 1827 canal and also to the railway that ran from Bideford to...